If today could have gone any worse, it would have. That's what she had decided. The fates were against her. She was almost certain now that she was cursed. It seemed only right.
There was this excruciating pain that made it feel like her head was going to split into two halves and some foreign being would pop out. It started at the tip of her nose, following up the nasal cavity before branching out and stretching into her eye sockets. From there, it climbed up towards her temples, pulsing angrily throughout the day. No matter how much Mystic Palm Chakra she pumped into her skull, to soothe the pain, the pulsating tremors wouldn't leave. She supposed it had something to do with the broken nose she had suffered earlier that morning. She supposed it had something to do with the chaos during her shift at the hospital. She supposed into had something to do with running face first into on of the shelves at her store.
She supposed it was because she was cursed.
As she apprenticed underneath, Morino Ibiki, she had plenty of opportunities to practice an arsenal of her Family Techniques. After the death of her father, she rightfully so found her calling within the Torture and Intelligence Department. Despite knowing that she was going to be there eventually, she was truly comfortable within the Department. Of course, it was more than simply interrogation and torture, they also looked for research advances with technology, the Archives not too far from their reaches. She knew that that were reconstructing a Telepathic Communication Unit within their labs and she was proud to say that she was heavily involved in its development. However, this morning, she had had different ideas on her training.
Currently, she was working on a new Technique to add to the mountains of scrolls in her home. This Technique would allow her to stay in a semi-conscious state throughout an interrogation. The idea was to gather information for the mind of her target without being obvious. Her Mind Techniques either required her soul to leave her body, which left her vulnerable or she had to come into direct contact with the target. This idea was to eliminate both of those two inconveniences, especially should she be on a mission alone. But she was up with multiple roadblocks when it came to progress. Such as falling face first onto the tiled floor thus causing her to break her nose. Of course, she had been expecting to have such difficulties, so she wasn't to surprised but that didn't lessen the pain radiating throughout her skull.
What frustrated her the most was the fact that Ibiki was a harsh critic. When she had regained consciousness, he was crouching beside her, his eyes full of hidden concern and mild disappointment. It was very rare that he gave her praise and compliments as to how far she had come along. Not that she minded, she didn't need anyone to sugar coat her failures and success. She understood that his teaching methods strayed from the norm. So, she had sat up, staring down at her legs, while explaining what she had wanted to accomplish during that session and why she concluded it was a failure.
The good thing about training under Ibiki was that he understood the mind. His own Techniques dealt with the mind as well, which was impressive seeing how it was considered a Bloodline Technique. She often wondered if somewhere in his family lineage, there had been a Yamanaka. It wouldn't have surprised her at all, seeing how many Bloodline Techniques were relatives or a mutation of one.
However, Ibiki felt that she was being too ambitious, which was only right at her given age, when it came to creating new Techniques. It took years to properly mold the perfect amount of Chakra. It took years to figure out what Hand Sign to use. The mind was a fragile and delicate item, for all parties involved. Should she mess up in the slightest, she could ruin her target's mind or worse, her own. She had to be extremely careful when testing out her new Techniques or else she could end up with worse than a broken nose. She had been chided for not taking a more cautious approach. Despite his harsh exterior, she knew that Ibiki cared for her, taking the role of an authoritative male figure in her life, seeing how he had always been close with the Yamanaka family. She took the critique that was given, without fighting back which was quite the feat for the quick tempered blonde. He had teased her appearances and she stuck her tongue out at him before she promptly healed her broken nose.
Like he was one to talk.
After her morning session at the T & I Department, she headed over to the hospital, despite the stares at to why she had blood caked and dried down her chin and onto the front of her shirt. She had been asked to cover a shift a few days prior which would lead her into the late afternoon. Arriving at the hospital, she scrubbed off her sore face and changed into a different top, one that was left in her locker a long time ago. Sliding on her white coat, she was immediately thrown into the chaos that was the Konoha Hospital.
A new trainee had been so flustered while adjusting to the hectic pace. While trying to clean out a waiting room and then immediately heading to watch a non-invasive surgery, they had dropped a container of used syringes on the floor, in the middle of a high traffic hallway. Code Orange.
The clean-up didn't take too long but she almost felt bad for the trainee, the tears in his eyes were unshed while he was being scolded by his supervisor. She knew what it was like to be brought into this crazy life. A love-hate relationship would be formed after a week fews of being in the Hospital but it was all worth it. To see the relieved patients, accompanied by the joyful cries from those who cared for them, it was certainly worth it.
Code Orange All Clear.
Then while she had been giving a physical to an aspiring Academy student, the P.A. system left out a small alarm, causing her to halt. A gentle voice came over the intercom, asking for assistance. She abruptly left the child, along with his mother down to the ground floor. An outpatient had gone into cardiac arrest in the middle of the lobby. Code Blue.
After stabilizing the vitals of the patient, she headed back to the room she had previously been in. She apologized for the inconvenience of her sudden departure but it had been a medical emergency. She continued through the physical, before handing over a Form of Consent, which would allow the small boy entrance into the Academy. She waved off the happy boy and his worried mother, before letting out a sigh. She went through the same motions, giving out four other physicals to other anxious children, only having to turn down one applicant because they were not of age yet.
Code Blue All Clear.
She collapsed into a chair in the Mess Hall, staring down at the lunch that she had prepared for herself last night. It all honesty, she didn't have the strength to eat. Today had certainly been extremely hectic and she could only blame her lack of Lady Luck. She rubbed her temples with a soothing green Chakra, trying to ease the oncoming headache. She flinched as other being plopped down in front of her, teal eyes glancing up to see matching, in expression, emerald ones.
"What a day, huh," she murmured out to her friend.
The pink haired Medic groaned as she pulled her hair from her updo, which meant that she had recently been in surgery. "Tell me about it," she grumbled as she ruffled her hair and slowly began to open up her container of food. "I feel like every Code that can happen will happen today."
"And here I thought I was the only one," the blonde mused with a small smile, munching on the tomatoes in her lunch. "Anyways, are you ready for tonight?"
"I don't know if I'll be able to make it tonight, I'm exhausted," Sakura groaned, sipping on what was probably her fifth cup of coffee that day.
"Oh no you don't, Forehead," Ino chided out. "I have suffered too much today for you to back out tonight. Besides, when was the last time we actually had a night off with one another?" The blonde questioned, pointing a fork at the pink haired woman across from her, before digging into the mediocre omelet and meat selection she had.
The Medic tossed her head from left to right as she chewed on her food and thought about what her friend had said. It certainly had been a while since they had gone out, it was turning into four months now. She had been surprised when the blonde had asked a few days ago to hand out, usually she was the one trying to catch up to Ino's hectic schedule. She thought that she was a workaholic, but Ino certainly had spread herself thin over the last year, taking hold of all the opportunities that came her way. She nodded her head in agreement, taking another swig of her, now cold, coffee.
"You're right, besides I'm free until my evening shift tomorrow," Sakura stated with a slight grin. "So we might as well have fun tonight."
"That's what I like to hear," Ino said with a grin and they erupted with laughter as they began to recall their last escapade. Their moment of peace ended as soon as it started, the beepers attached to their waists were set off. Both females snatched up the tiny device, before giving each other a similar look. They quickly discarded their meals, speeding off down the hallways. Code Yellow.
On the other side of the Konoha Hospital property, they found a small child wandering the hallways, crying for her mother. A sigh of relief came through the two females as they rushed to aid the young girl. She had wandered off while her parents had been talking with a nurse about an upcoming surgery for her brother. She supposed that the conversation had been lengthy since the girl had managed to come all the way here. A missing child was not something that they had inexperience with but it was certainly not something that they took lightly. Especially seeing how the child could have been abducted. After returning the child to her fearful parents, Ino and Sakura parted their ways, promising to meet up later that night.
Code Yellow All Clear.
"How did he manage to get a coin in his nose," Ino asked with an incredulous tone. "It's like...bigger than the nostril itself."
Sakura let out a laugh and shrugged. "I have no idea really, children get creative when there are no adults around." She shook her head recalling the memory while nursing a cup of sake.
"They sure do," Ino muttered under her breath with a huff, taking hold of the neck of her beer bottle and gulped down the rest of the contents. A satisfied noise left her as she set the bottle down on the tabletop, her eyes glanced over at the clock hanging on the restaurant's wall. Just how late were they going to be?
"Is everything alright?"
She jumped a bit looking over at the concerned face of her friend. "Yeah, why?"
"You just keep looking over at the clock." Sakura wrapped her arms around herself, a dejected look coming to her face.
Shit. Was she being that obvious? Then again, Sakura would notice those minute details. She reached her hand out across the table, wiggling her fingers and gently beckoning for the Medic to take hold of her awaiting hand. When she did, Ino held her hand in a firm grip as a fond smile came to her lips. "You know, it's been awhile since we've last done something like this. I just can't believe how fast time is passing."
"Ino," Sakura groaned out, pulling her had free and covering the embarrassed flush coming to her face. "You're such a sap."
The two women began to laugh, while enjoying their third round of drinks. The blonde felt relieved as she averted a small crisis. It wasn't she was being dishonest, she truly enjoyed spending time with her long time rival and friend. She felt that now, their bond was stronger than ever. Of course, Ino had still played the role of fawning over the Uchiha. It was only to help fuel the Medic's confidence. It wasn't for a while that Ino realized that Sakura didn't need that kind of boost in confidence. What she needed was someone who would be there when she had her doubts. She needed someone to be there to pull her out of her head. She needed someone who could help take her mind off things.
So that was when Ino had let go of her crush, even though it really wasn't that difficult. She had given up a long time ago, pursuing different options, not like any of those had worked out for her. She had been lost, not sure how to feel. She had started with an apology to Lady Tsunade's apprentice, which had brought upon a lengthy conversation about the past. There were also many moments of laughter as they thought back to when they were young and naive. All in all, Ino was happy that things had been resolved between the two of them. She had greatly missed Sakura.
The two of them had been idly gossiping when a familiar sensation tickled her spine. Coming around the corner, she spotted the two men she had been expecting to see tonight. A small choke came from the woman across from her as her jade eyes landed on them. She wiped the drink that had dribbled down her chin and smoothed out her hair. The Medic watched as the two men slowly made their way towards them, wondering if they had seen them. Wondering if he had seen her. She felt a drop in her confidence, her eyes slowly falling to the fidgeting hands in her lap.
"Oui Sakura! Ino!" Naruto exclaimed as he stopped in front of their booth. "I didn't know you guys would be here too!"
Ino was glad that the blonde male naturally sounded so surprised and energetic or else everything would seem forced, planned. Her eyes flickered over to his silent companion, nodding her head to acknowledge him, he responded in the same manner.
"So what are you doing," Naruto prodded, leaning against the side of the booth.
"We're having a girls' night out, obviously," Ino replied with a roll of her eyes. "No boys allowed." She ended while sticking out her tongue at them.
"Girls' night out, huh? And what will you girls be doing?"
Ino had to hold back the innuendo that was at the tip of her tongue. She had been spending far too many missions with that mangy Dog Boy. "Well, if you're just dying to know...we're going to drink our asses off and maybe get a bit frisky with some lucky guys, then call it a night."
"Ino!" Sakura cried out, a dark shade of rose dusting across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She couldn't believe the 'Devil-May-Care' attitude that her friend had. Then again they were already heading into their fourth round of drinks, the Medic knew that Ino became a bit more...unreserved. It wasn't like she minded that the Mindwalker was vocal about their activities, Hell, when they got together it was no secret as to what they did. However, in front of the man of her desires, she had really hoped that Ino would hold back. Thinking of him, she glanced over towards him, hoping that something could rile him up, even in the slightest. She deflated slightly as his expression remained impassive.
"So you're sure there's no room to join you two," Naruto asked with a crooked grin, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The Yamanaka Heiress stared at him for a moment, her heart fluttering at the hooded gaze that was given. Shaking those thoughts from her head, she glanced over at her pink haired companion, as if asking her if it was alright. The Medic responded with a meek nod, though her eyes held a bit out excitement and fear. Ino sighed and rolled her eyes, flicking her hand towards them. "Fine, I guess you both could entertain us for a while. Right, Sakura?"
"S-Sure, I don't see a problem with that," she murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
A holler of excitement left the Nine-Tails Holder before he motioned for Ino to move over. She complied immediately, a grin coming to her lips as the Uchiha moved to the opposite side to sit by Sakura. The medic moved over so fast that Ino swore she almost slammed into the wall. She bit her lower lip to hold back the giggle that threatened to leave her. Well, at least this was a step in the right direction.
"Oh my bag!" The Mind Walker exclaimed, reaching over Naruto to grab her belongings. She placed a hand on his upper thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. She felt him jump then tense as her Chakra infiltrated his system. Settling back into her spot, she smiled sheepishly, oblivious to the stares that she was given from the opposite side of the table. "Sorry."
The blonde male shook his head, waving off her apology before loudly calling the server over for drinks and food.
'Took you long enough,' she chided into his mind.
'It was harder than expected to get the bastard out of the house,' he replied back to her while delving into the latest of his adventures.
She leaned forward on the table, feigning normalcy as she listened to his story, a smile laying on her lips. 'Are you sure about this working? We're not forcing this too much, are we?'
'Relax, Ino. You'll see, it'll work out just fine.'
She wasn't sure how long they had been there, creating a stir in the restaurant but she knew that she was definitely drunk. Empty plates and glasses were cluttering the table, she had lost count after their sixth round. Teal hues glanced over towards her friend, who was probably going to regret drinking so much tomorrow morning. She looked at the male beside her, noting that the tips of his ears were beginning to turn red but that was the only sign he gave off. She looked at the male beside, his antics were still boisterous and animated, a healthy flush on his cheeks as he calmed down from laughing.
This was going better than expected.
Ever since the men had arrived, the conversation flow had been healthy. The Uchiha had changed ever since coming back to the village, no doubt that it had something to do with his teammates. Still, he was far more reserved than all of them, but he joined in the conversations they had. She didn't miss the slight curl of his lips when he found something entertaining. This was the first time she had seen the Uchiha in this atmosphere. It certainly suited him better than how he used to be as a child. She could understand why Sakura adored the raven haired male in such a manner. She could understand why Naruto believed that the Uchiha Heir was a good man, underneath the facade he put up. In that moment, she was truly happy for their Team. However, it was only slightly that she felt that she didn't belong with them. She didn't share the same memories with them. She didn't have that bond.
"Ino, answer the question," Naruto exclaimed, nudging his shoulder into her own, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Oh, what was it?" The Mind Walker asked, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. She couldn't believe that she had been caught spacing out.
"I asked if you were interested in anyone, Pig," Sakura asked, finally gaining more confidence with a little help from all the Liquid Courage she drank.
The Yamanaka Heiress felt her face felt up, tossing a glare to her smug friend across the table. Usually, they would discuss the people that they were interested in between just themselves, it seemed that the Medic was getting revenge from earlier. She tilted her head to the side, tapping her chin in mock thought. She allowed herself time to make them believe that she was actually thinking before she shook her head, shrugging her shoulders.
"I'm not necessarily looking but no one has caught my attention." Ino replied, knowing that would be enough to ease everyone's curiosity.
"Oh really," the Medic said, her eyes narrowing as she leaned forward. "No one….at all?"
A slender brow twitched in irritation, wondering where the Medic was going with this. "Yeah, Forehead, no one at all. Why are you pushing this?"
A smug grin came the Medic's lips and she leaned back in the booth, crossing her arms over her chest. Ino's brows furrowed further, not picking up on what her friend was trying to say. Normally, she would be able to pick up subtle indications as to what someone was trying to tell her. After all, that was what her occupation required of her. She further blamed the alcohol for causing her to fall short. "What?" The Yamanaka snapped out, becoming increasingly frustrated.
A deep chuckle left the raven beside the Medic, turquoise hues flickered over to the Uchiha, the back of his hand covering the grin that had come to his lips. Now, the Yamanaka was coming close to the brink of anger. What was so damn amusing?
"I think what Sakura is implying," the Uchiha started off, unable to wipe the smirk on his lips. "Is that, the two of you look oddly comfortable with one another."
Blinking, the Yamanaka leaned back into the booth, only to feel the back of her neck land on the outstretched arm that Naruto had placed behind her, to rest on top of the seat. She chided internally to herself to remain calm as she glanced over at the Uzumaki. He seemed to have the same confused look on his face and when he turned to look at her, it was only then that she realized how close they were to one another. They were close enough that she could feel his warm breath graze her face slightly, their legs were touching slightly. She hadn't realized that she been leaning her body into his, thanks to the excitement buzzing in the air and the influence of alcohol. It was then that she began to feel awkward but she had to overcome this. She had to show them that she wasn't interested. She had to change the subject.
Immediately.
"So what of it," Ino snapped out. "That doesn't mean anything, unlike the two of you." She pointed out, a devious grin coming to her lips. "Don't you believe, you guys are too quick to judge?"
That was when the two of them noted that they were in a similar position as the opposite blondes. A deep red touched the Medic's cheeks as she pulled her arms towards the center of her lap, shoulders shying away from the Uchiha. There was a heavy sigh from the dark haired male, his outstretched arm moving away from around the shoulder of female beside him. During that time, she had skillfully moved a few inches away from Naruto and he had pulled his arm away from near her. Another crisis diverted, she thought in relief.
"Besides, there's a certain Hyuuga that has caught our Hero's attention, right?" Ino asked, continuing to push the conversation away from her interests.
A small chuckle left the Uzumaki and he scratched his cheek in embarrassment. That seemed to get the attention of his female teammate and Ino grinned to herself. The Medic began to interrogate her blonde teammate with such vigor and intensity, Ino wondered if she could help out at the T & I Department. She shivered, feeling as if someone was watching her, glancing up, she met dark onyx eyes. She could almost feel him try to prod her for answers but she simply rolled her eyes, looking back at the sweating Uzumaki being questioned by the Medic.
No one needed to know.
"Thanks for the fun night," Ino sang out, waving at the two men, who returned the gesture while heading off in a different direction. She sighed slightly, glancing down at the Medic who she had resting on her back. An affectionate grin came to her lips as she pushed the pink haired woman up higher on her back, tightening her grip further underneath her thighs.
"Come on, let's get you home," Ino said gently.
There was a slight groan that left the nearly unconscious female as Ino made her way towards her house, carrying her friend on her back. "Don't you dare vomit on me, Haruno," Ino warned teasingly, knowing that she really wouldn't mind. The Medic had drank far beyond her limit. There was a murmured warning from Sakura but Ino didn't hear all of it. The blonde chuckled under her breath as she walked through the silent village, the moon illuminating the path home.
"Ino," Sakura weakly called out.
"Hmm," Ino hummed out, waiting for Sakura to continue.
She felt Sakura's arms hold onto her tighter, her head burying itself in her hair. Her legs swung a bit, nearly knocking off Ino's balance. Steadying them, Ino continued on their way, knowing what Sakura was going to say.
"Are you sure that you don't like anyone?"
Scratch that. She had no idea what the hell was going on in her friend's head. Ino looked up at the sky as she thought about gushing out her infatuation for Naruto to her best friend. She sighed heavily, knowing that Sakura probably wouldn't remember much of it, so there was no point. "You know me, I can only love myself," Ino teased out.
"Ino, I'm being serious," Sakura whined. Ino could feel the pout on the back of her neck.
"I know, I know," Ino sighed gently. "Look, like I said before, I'm not interested in anyone right now. Why are you so concerned about me? What about you and the Uchiha?"
"I just want you to be happy for once," Sakura murmured.
This caused Ino to stop walking, she glanced over her shoulder, realizing that Sakura had fallen into a deep slumber. Gritting her teeth, she wondered if Sakura had noticed that she had, indeed, been lonely. Not like it mattered anyways, she cared more about her friends' happiness than hers. That was why her father had been so proud of her. She put others before herself. She knew one day that she would find her own happiness but for now, she wanted to give Sakura what she deserved. How long had she been pining for the Uchiha's attention. Ino was sure that tonight was the start of him returning those affections. She just wanted the Medic to be happy, no matter how she felt.
Making it to her home, she placed the snoozing woman in her bed, tucking her friend in and leaving a glass of water on the nightstand. She stared at the scene, a small smile on her lips. Ino could hear Sakura faintly call out to the man of her desires before rolling over in the bed. Rolling her eyes, the blonde headed to the other side of the bed, climbing in. She stared up at the ceiling, wondering what she was going to do now. It was obvious that Naruto's planned had worked, there was really no reason to continue to push them.
She thought back to how natural it felt to be nestled near him. It was probably because he gave off that protective allure. That warm glow. She hadn't thought that anything had been wrong with how they looked. There were many times that Shikamaru had done the same thing when they went out to eat. It was for comfort. That's all it was. That's what she had to tell herself. Besides, he seemed so embarrassed at the mention of the Hyuuga Heiress. It wasn't like he would any feelings towards her.
They were simply friends.